Prescribed burns in Toronto’s Lambton Park and High Park scheduled for tomorrow after briefing in Lambton Park

Prescribed burns in sections of Lambton Park and High Park are scheduled to take place tomorrow (April 18) as current forecasts predict optimal weather conditions on Tuesday. Officials will provide a briefing in the Lambton Arena parking lot tomorrow prior to the Lambton Park burn's ignition, outlining the plan for media and any members of the public who are present at the site.

Date: Tuesday, April 18
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Lambton Arena parking lot, 4100 Dundas St. W.
(Travel north at the lights on Howland Street and follow the driveway around the back of the arena to the parking lot.)

Prescribed burning in Lambton Park is expected to take place from approximately 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. (the exact time will depend on weather conditions). Prescribed burning in High Park will take place after the fires have been extinguished in Lambton Park, approximately 2 to 5 p.m. Public access to park areas adjacent to burn sites will be restricted.

A prescribed burn is a deliberately set and carefully controlled fire that burns low to the ground and consumes dried leaves, small twigs and grass stems but does not harm larger trees. Prescribed burns are part of the City's long-term management plan to protect and sustain Toronto’s rare black oak woodlands and savannahs. Parks, Forestry and Recreation hired a Fire Boss with extensive prescribed burning experience to create the 2017 burn plans and implement them with assistance from City staff. Toronto Fire Services and the police have been notified and they will assist if required.

For safety reasons, park users with dogs should keep them on-leash even in off-leash areas near burn zones. Individuals with asthma and those highly sensitive to poison ivy should limit their exposure to the smoke by staying inside and keeping their windows closed. Some people may choose to leave the general area of the park on the day of the prescribed burn if concerned about the smoke.

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